It will not banish the memories of their ill-fated Ryder Cup partnership, but Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were finally able to enjoy a victory together on Tuesday.

Fourteen years after losing twice on the opening day at Oakland Hills after being paired by US captain Hal Sutton, the long-time rivals teamed up to beat Fred Couples and Thomas Pieters in a nine-hole practice round ahead of the Masters.

'They enjoyed beating us badly, I will say that,' Couples told reporters afterwards. 'I feel bad for Thomas because I couldn't have helped Jack Nicklaus in his prime today. Thomas had a lot on his shoulders.'

Tiger Woods enjoyed a practice round on Tuesday ahead of his return to the Masters

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Starting on the back nine, Couples and Pieters won the first two holes but then saw Woods eagle both the 13th and 15th and Mickelson make five straight birdies.

'I think come Sunday, they might be paired together,' Couples added. 'They're playing extremely well. They love the course. And they're going to do very, very well.'

Pieters, who was fourth on his Masters debut last year, added: 'Tiger was brilliant.'

Mickelson, 47, who won for the first time since 2013 last month, is aiming to surpass Jack Nicklaus as the oldest ever winner at Augusta National.

Fans watch on in the sun as the 14-time major champion hits a tee shot on the 14th hole

Woods and Mickelson were also joined by Thomas Pieters and Fred Couples for practice round

The American trio pictured sharing a laugh on the 11th hole as they polished up their game

And Woods, who underwent spinal fusion surgery last April, is seeking a first major title - and 15th in total - since winning the US Open in 2008.

Asked about the improved relationship between himself and Mickelson, Woods said: 'I think Phil and I have been through it for so long and we have been together on these teams (Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup) long enough.

'And then when I got hurt and I had to take a different role on the teams, being assistant captain and really trying to help out on the side, Phil was great. He was trying to help me out when I was trying to make a comeback, my body wasn't feeling very good.

42-year-old Woods walks to the 16th green on Tuesday while fans get a sneak peak of his form

'And our friendship has gotten stronger over the years. We have competed a lot of times coming down the stretch in events.

'And I think it's just age as well. We're at the tail end of our careers, we both know that. He's 47 and I'm 42, and we have had a great 20-year battle.

Hopefully we'll have a few more, but we understand where we are in the game now versus where we were in our early 20s, battling for who is going to be number one, and that was then and certainly this is now.'

Large crowds gather on the hills at Augusta to watch Woods and Co putt on the 16th green